


A Dream, More Within Reach Than Previously Thought

by lol-phan-af (lol_phan_af)



Category: Hamilton - Miranda
Genre: Alternate Universe - Modern Setting, Family Dinners, Family Drama, Fluff, Homophobia, Implied/Referenced Child Abuse, Living Together, M/M, Marriage Proposal, Meet the Family, Multi, Physical Abuse, Polyamory, Summer Vacation
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-07-13
Updated: 2017-07-13
Packaged: 2018-12-01 18:39:53
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 9,820
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/11492340
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/lol_phan_af/pseuds/lol-phan-af
Summary: "Yeah, I was thinking about it, about how I wanted to be with you two this summer and I thought that maybe you could come home with me? You don't have to! I was just, thinking," he trailed off, sighing."You want us to go to Monticello with you?"---Thomas invites Alex and James to Monticello for a month during the summer, and A Lot happens.





	A Dream, More Within Reach Than Previously Thought

Summer came by before James knew it, and for the first time in his entire life, he wasn't excited for it. Sure, no class meant he had more time to spend with Alex and Thomas, but Thomas was going home to Virginia for a month, and that meant James would also have more time to miss him. Thomas promised he would call them everyday when he woke up and again before he went to bed, but recently he seemed to forget that concept altogether, looking away whenever James or Alex mentioned it.    
  
"Do you really have to leave?" Alex asked, propping his chin up on Thomas' stomach. It was late, too late for conversations, but Alex never let time stop him from saying something.   
  
Thomas kept staring up at the ceiling, face blank, paler than he was a second ago. "I still have a week left before I leave."    
  
"That's not enough," Alex whined. "Can't you just stay here with us?"  
  
"Y'know, you could always come with me," Thomas told them, and James shot up.    
  
"What?" He yelled, and Thomas flinched. "Sorry, but what?"    
  
Thomas sat up, picked at the skin below his fingernails like he always did when he was nervous. "Yeah, I was thinking about it, about how I wanted to be with you two this summer and I thought that maybe you could come home with me? You don't have to! I was just, thinking," he trailed off, sighing.   
  
"You want us to go to Monticello with you?" James turned to Thomas, sitting cross legged on the bed.    
  
"Yeah. It'll just be me there, my family doesn't live on the estate, so if you went with me it would really be only _us_."    
  
Alex stared at him, studying his every movement to see if he was kidding. "Are you sure? I mean, I know I'm over here a lot, but living with me for a month in Virginia is way different than that. What if I break some million dollar antique and you get so upset you want me to leave? I don't know how to navigate Virginia, I'd never find my way home."    
  
"Alex," James whispered. Alex's eyes shot over to him, frightened and afraid. He was never this nervous, James was concerned.    
  
Thomas kissed him, hands tangling in his hair. "I would never want you to leave, Alexander, I love you. I want you to come to Monticello with me  _ because  _ I love the both of you." He held James' hand, grazing his thumb against the back of it.    
  
Alex rested his forehead on Thomas'. "I love you too. And, I love you, James." He got up on his knees to lean over and kiss James before laying back down.    
  
"I love you too."   
  
"So you'll come?" Thomas questioned, one of his hands still intertwined with James', rubbing his hand across Alex's bare shoulders.    
  
James kissed his temple. "Of course we will."   
  
Thomas' smile was bright enough to light up the whole city that night.   
  
\---   
  
"When we get to your house am I allowed to like go wherever?" Alex asked as Thomas knelt in front of him in the bathroom. James leaned against the doorway, paying careful attention, far too amused for one person.    
  
"Alex-"   
  
"No, like, it's a serious question. Are there rooms that are like off limits or is it like fine if I go anywhere I want."    
  
"I am literally plucking your eyebrows, which is stressful all on it's own. Is this the best time for this?"   
  
Alex kissed him, narrowly avoiding getting stabbed with the tweezers. "I love you."    
  
"I love you too," Thomas responded, "but my hands are already shaking. Also, yes, you can do whatever you want in my house. Above the first floor is pretty much all bedrooms, but there is the dome room on the third floor that we can go in."  
  
"That's nice. It's great, actually, I'm so excited!" he said. "Now, make me look beautiful, please." He let his hair fall back over his shoulders and out of the way to give Thomas a better view.   
  
James could feel Thomas' internal eye roll, but instead he just squinted at Alex. "You're always beautiful, now hush." Alex yelped as he continued, and James wondered what he did to find two people as amazing as they were.    
  
\---   


Alex set his glass of wine down on the fake wooden table, folding the Olive Garden menu and placing it down flat. James watched, eyebrows raised, almost too in love with him.    
  
"You said that when we're at your house" he started, "that nobody else would be there, but I know you haven't been home in a long time, so your family isn't going to just pop in because they know where you are, are they? I mean, it's fine they do, that's totally not my decision-"   
  
"I didn't even think of that," Thomas admitted. "I think I have to call my mom now." He got up and walked off to the bathroom, Alex watching him as he went.    
  
"Stop staring at his ass," he deadpanned, and Alex snapped out of his reverie.    
  
"Sorry, but when he wears those dress pants I really can't think straight."   
  
"When do you do anything straight?"    
  
Alex widened his eyes. "I am  _ hurt  _ and  _ offended _ ," he proclaimed, smile playing on his lips, drinking his wine. James winked at him and Alex wiggled his eyebrows. Unbelievable.    
  
Thomas came back five minutes later, sitting down with a huff. "Apparently, you're meeting my mom and all of my siblings."   
  
Alex's head hit the table with a thud.   
  
\---   
  
James didn't think of himself as an anxious person when it came to relationships. For everything else, he was a mess, and that feeling was shared between all three of them, but when it came to the love James felt with them, he never worried about it beyond a passing thought.   
  
Then Thomas invited them to his estate for the summer, and James felt his heart race whenever he thought about it.    
  
James loved them, he wanted to keep loving them, but he couldn't help but feel worried that once they were at Thomas' house, they'd shatter. Most of their relationship was spent with the distraction of classes and finals and friends, making their time spent together a safe escape from the world outside. They loved each other, but James didn't know if they would still love him if they were given the chance without any distractions. He was not made to be loved unconditionally, instead saved for the moments when there is nothing better to do.    
  
"Hey, what's wrong?" Alex asked, hands rested on James' stomach, Thomas kneeling behind him in between James' knees. Oh, right, they were like two seconds away from having sex. He really needed to pay attention more.    
  
"Nothing, I'm fine," James whispered, moving to sit up. Alex was too concerned to consider that maybe climbing off of him would be a good idea, instead he was dragged up the bed with James, the worried look on his face bordering on frightened.   
  
"We're your boyfriends," Thomas crawled to lay next to him, "we know when you're upset."   
  
"And when you're lying about being upset," Alex added. Thomas nodded, kissing his cheek.    
  
"It's nothing, really, I promise."    
  
"James," they both said.    
  
"I just," he sighed. "I love you, but I'm afraid if we live together then you'll figure out that you don't actually love me and that you'll realize that this, us, was just a mistake and I don't, I  _ don't  _ want to lose you."   
  
Alex moved so he was sitting on one of James' legs, Thomas taking his place on his right one. James sighed, hands folded on his chest. He didn't want to talk about it as much as they  _ needed  _ to talk about it.   
  
"James, us going to Virginia isn't going to change anything. We'd love you no matter where we went," Alex told him.    
  
"I'm afraid that with all the distractions we have now, when they're all taken away and it's just  _ us _ , you won't like the person that you have to spend your time with."    
  
Thomas kissed his jaw. "We love spending time with you! You and Alex have basically been living in my apartment since we got done with finals, there haven't been any distractions and we still love you, the location doesn't change that."   
  
"If we had it our way, we'd spend forever with you without any distractions, in any place we could."    
  
"I love you both," James mumbled, and they kissed his cheeks.    
  
"We love you too," Thomas assured, falling to his side, Alex doing the same on his left.   
  
James was out like a light in between the two of them.    
  
\---   
  
Thomas parked the car in front of a house that was far too big for one person, especially when it came to him. It was nothing short of a mansion, brick stairs leading up to a portico with pillars and a grand front door, leading into what, no doubt, was an even more elegant interior.    
  
"You fucking live in this?" Alex questioned as he stared at it, bags in either hand, laptop bag on one shoulder. His round sunglasses covered his real ones, refused to buy prescription ones because they were too expensive, which Thomas agreed with, but still bought them for himself anyway.   
  
"It's pretty isn't it?"   
  
"It's," his voice cracked, "fucking huge!"   
  
James smiled. "Not the first time you've said that," and went inside, stifled his laughter as he heard Alex gasp.    
  
Thomas gave them a tour, blushed whenever James complimented it or Alex said how pretty something was, stuttering over his words until a few moments later. He was so cute, James couldn't handle it sometimes.     
  
"Then here is my bedroom," Thomas announced, swinging open a door to show them.    
  
Alex glanced inside, then back at Thomas, then back in the room. "Thomas, my love, the light of my entire life, my sun, why the fuck is your bed in the middle of a hallway?" He held Thomas' jaw with one hand, James tried not to laugh.   
  
"It felt right," he answered, nodding, and James snorted despite himself.    
  
"You're ridiculous," he grinned, kissing Thomas' temple.    
  
Thomas laughed. He wrapped James' arms around him and hugged Alex in front of him. "Can we go to bed? I've been driving all day and I just want to cuddle you and die."   
  
"I won't support you dying but I will support going to bed," Alex muttered. Thomas leaned down and kissed his forehead.   
  
"Deal."   
  
They didn't bother to unpack, instead threw their bags on the ground and climbed into bed, falling asleep almost on top of each other.    
  
James wouldn't have it any other way.    
  
\---   
  
James and Alex watched Thomas fumble in the kitchen with a fond smile, saw as he squinted at all the knobs on the stove, confused at what should be something simple to him.   
  
James came up behind him, wrapping his arms around Thomas' waist and kissing his neck. "Do you want me to make breakfast?"    
  
"No! No, I can do this, I just need to figure it out. Give me a moment."   
  
"At least let us help?" Alex kissed him and turned one of the knobs. Thomas looked at him like he committed an act of witchcraft right in front of him.    
  
"Does everyone know how to cook except me?"    
  
Alex grinned and didn't answer, set on searching through the cabinets for a frying pan.    
  
"It's not your fault," James said. "You grew up rich."    
  
"So did you, but you know how to cook. Wealth is no excuse for not getting your fucking act together."    
  
James laughed in the way he rarely does, the way that Thomas said made him melt, the one Alex once wrote prose poetry about that he sent him over text message.  _ Love potions bubbling over crystal cauldrons in a field of sunflowers not seen by many, but appreciated by all _ is how Alex described it, and James was happy to let them hear it as often as they pleased. Thomas tensed against him before swooning in his arms.   
  
"Fair point."    
  
"I know  _ how  _ to cook, like I know the directions and stuff, but when it comes to actually  _ doing  _ it, I'm not that proficient," Thomas explained, and James kissed him again. Alex scooted them aside to set the frying pan on the stove, turning to all the ingredients Thomas had laid out on the counter next to them.    
  
"We could always teach you," Alex offered, cracking eggs into a bowl.    
  
Thomas shook his head. "I tried that before. I signed up for all these cooking classes when we first started dating so I could impress you, and then I was so bad that they had to ask me to leave because I gave one woman food poisoning."   
  
Alex laughed and threw his head back. "You are the love of my life."    
  
"Alex?"   
  
"I mean it," Alex told him. "You're the love of my life, and the fact that you signed up for cooking classes because you wanted to impress us makes my heart soar. Also, I love you, but if you think that us teaching you how to cook would be the same as someone who has no patience and needs everything to be done in one certain way would be, you are sorely mistaken."    
  
"Alex, you don't have any patience either," James pointed out, and Alex rolled his eyes.    
  
"I would find some for you two," he said, chopping tomatoes on the gourmet cutting board.    
  
Thomas sighed, breaking away from James and sitting at the breakfast bar. "I just want to be able to do normal adult things, y'know? When we get married, you deserve someone who can pull their own weight."    
  
James choked. They'd never talked about marrying each other before, never talked about marriage in any sense before. James knew he wanted to spend the rest of his life with them, but he wasn't sure if they wanted it, but now the topic was brought up and silence fell over the kitchen like death. He could almost hear the sound of Thomas' heart rate skyrocketing.   
  
Alex hummed, grinning. "It's fine, when we get married you can set the table and help rinse the dishes before we put them in the dishwasher."    
  
James wanted to laugh, but then he saw the look in Alex's eyes, the matching one Thomas had. Love, unconditional and bubbling, burning like the sun, filled the kitchen quick enough to feel like a bullet shot James straight through the heart. They were being  _ serious _ , they wanted to marry him. Not just the wedding, the cake, the tuxedos, the awkward conversations with family members, but to get married and be married to him. It felt like a dream, more within reach than he previously thought.   
  
Alex finished cooking, plating all of the food and handing it to James and Thomas, toting them to the dining room where James would try and pay attention to their conversation, instead of thinking about what it'd be like if they were all actually married.    
  
\---   
  
The worst thing about Thomas' bed being in the middle of a doorway, besides fucking  _ all of it _ , was that there were no windows in sight. Light came in through the rooms on either side, warping time until it didn't exist at all.   
  
"Time is an illusion," Alex reminded him as they sat on the back portico and watched the sunset together, drinking a glass of wine from a bottle Thomas gave them while he was on the phone with his mother. James rolled his eyes and poured another glass for himself. His boyfriends were unbelievable, truly.   
  
James woke up with Thomas' back pressed to his chest, which would be a welcome feeling if not for the fact that Alex fell asleep in between them the night before. He heard something move in Thomas' office on the other side of the doorway, and moved to see the source.    
  
Alex sat at Thomas' swivel chair, sipping his mug of coffee, staring down at his laptop screen turned on the lowest brightness setting. He hummed, wrote something down on the notepad he had balancing on the arm of the chair.    
  
"What are you doing?" James asked as he padded over to Alex, pulling up a chair next to him.    
  
"Work. It's summer, we don't have anything to fucking work on, but still I'm given problems I don't deserve. You should go back to bed, sleep is important."    
  
James snorted. "Yeah, coming from you."    
  
"Hey, my blood is seventy percent coffee, doesn't mean yours has to be. Now go to bed." He kissed James forehead and turned back to his laptop screen.    
  
James rested his head on Alex's shoulder. "I'd much rather stay in here with you, though."    
  
Alex turned away so James wouldn't see him blushing, but the tips of his ears betrayed him. He kissed Alex's jaw, the only place he could reach, and Alex went back to work, both of them content to sit there for as long as time would allow.   
  
\---   
  
Alex didn't even look up from his book as he crossed his legs on the ottoman and asked, "You want me to do  _ what _ ?"    
  
Thomas laughed, collapsing on the couch and resting his head in James' lap. If James' wasn't typing on his laptop, it would've been cute, now he just watched as lines of gibberish letters came on screen the longer Thomas had his head on the keys.    
  
"My mother is coming in four days, and my garden is suffering. She'll be upset if she figures out I haven't been taking care of it as well as I should have."    
  
James pulled his laptop from under Thomas and kissed him. "With the pollen counts recently, I can barely go outside without feeling like I'm a step away from death."   
  
"I understand," Thomas grumbled, crossing his arms over his chest. "I don't  _like it_ , but I understand." James kissed his forehead.   
  
"What would be in it for me?" Alex questioned, setting his book down and sipping from his mug. "What is this?"   
  
"Decaf," James answered. "If you drink anymore regular you won't sleep until we go back home."    
  
"It's disgusting."   
  
Thomas sat up to face him. "What's in it for you, Alexander, is unlimited free tomatoes and my happiness and eternal love."    
  
"I thought I already had your eternal love?" Alex crossed his arms over his chest to mirror him.   
  
"You do, always, but at the same time you could have more of it if you help me garden. Please?" James looked at Alex as Thomas gave him the  _ eyes _ , the ones that reminded them just how whipped they were, and watched as Alex melted in front of him.    
  
"Fine, I'll help you, but I expect all the tomatoes I damn well please," he muttered, getting up and going to their room.    
  
"You'll get them," Thomas called after him, grinning. He kissed James and then followed Alex, leaving him alone to worry about how Alex planned to live through gardening in that heat.    
  
James watched as Alex stomped out behind Thomas, white tank top and hideous cargo shorts to boot with a box of Thomas' gardening supplies.    
  
"Wish us luck!" Thomas said.   
  
James laughed. "Good luck!"   
  
Not even twenty minutes passed before Thomas stormed back inside, screaming at the top of his lungs and collapsing, again, on the couch and into James' lap.    
  
James' hands fumbled. "Okay?"    
  
"We were outside gardening and it's ninety degrees and Alex is suffering because he can't handle southern heat, so he takes his shirt off and ties his hair up and oh my god, James, I think I'm gay."   
  
James was silent for a moment before going, "While I agree Alex is stunning, did it really require this much screaming?"    
  
Thomas gasped and pulled him over to the window seat, directing him to where Alex was, skin shining under the sun, hair tied up in a loose bun, cargo shorts still hideous but they didn't look so bad now. The gardening gloves Thomas lent him somehow made him look more attractive in an almost odd way. He wiped his forehead and James' jaw dropped.   
  
"Right!" Thomas yelled. " _ Right _ ?"   
  
"I don't know how to tell you this Thomas, but I think I'm gay. I hope this doesn't affect our friendship."   
  
Thomas scoffed and nudged him. "Shut up!"    
  
"Why are you even in here? Like yeah, I get it, Alex is beautiful and we're most definitely having sex after this, if he agrees to it, but did you just start screaming and run away?"    
  
"No, I told him I was going to get water," Thomas explained. "Which reminds me, I should probably get water." He climbed off of the seat and darted to the kitchen.   
  
"Would you get me one?" James yelled, grinning when Thomas handed him it moments later. "I was fine, but then I saw Alex and now I'm parched."    
  
"It's understandable, now I have to go." Thomas took his shirt off with minimal difficulty considering the water he held in either hand and jogged out, kissing Alex soundly as he handed him one of the bottles.   
  
They were only outside for another hour before they trudged back in, not saying a word as they walked into the room, took James' hands, and dragged him off to Thomas' en suite. James laughed as they took his sweater off of him, Alex kissing across his shoulders while Thomas turned on the shower.    
  
"You two are ridiculous," James remarked, and Alex nodded, threading his fingers through the curls at the nape of his neck.    
  
"You love us," Alex whispered, standing on his toes to kiss him.    
  
"I do," James agreed when they broke apart, kissing Alex on the forehead. Alex beamed at him and James smiled back, overwhelmingly in love with the man in front of him.    
  
"We love you too," Thomas told James, kissing him and Alex before stripping down completely, Alex joining shortly after, James following after him.    
  
Later, they sat in the parlor framing pictures of them that Thomas got developed, eating mac and cheese that Thomas made and didn't completely fail at.    
  
"Do you think we're gonna be like this forever?" Alex asked, hair wrapped in a towel, James' shirt hanging off his shoulders. His thumb grazed across one of the frames, a photo of them on Christmas, matching sweaters and santa hats and the cheesiest thing James had ever been a part of.    
  
Thomas scooched over to him, leaning his chin on Alex's shoulder. "I'd hope so. Why?"    
  
"I  _ want  _ to stay like this forever. I love you both so much, I never want to lose you, y'know?" Tears pricked at his eyes, but he refused to cry. James looked at Thomas over Alex's head and nodded. Thomas took the frame from Alex's hands, scooping him into his arms and carrying him out of the room. James took their bowls from the floor and followed them out.   
  
"We still have pictures to frame," Alex muttered, but cuddled into Thomas' neck anyway.    
  
Thomas shh'd him. "We have three days still, it can wait until tomorrow."   
  
"Fine." Thomas kissed his forehead and turned into their bedroom, James turning to go to the kitchen.    
  
He climbed into bed with them, curling around Alex, who turned and kissed him before settling into his chest, sighing.    
  
They fell asleep together, and that's how James hoped they'd always stay.   
  
\---   
  
Jane Jefferson was perhaps the most terrifying person that James had ever met. She didn't bother waiting for Thomas to invite her inside, stepped into the house with seven children standing behind her, all taller than her but they looked so small in comparison.    
  
"Hello, mother," Thomas breathed, swallowing. He picked at the skin below his fingernail, trying to control his breathing.    
  
"Thomas,' she greeted, her eyes cold as ice, mouth in a straight line like her lips were sewn shut.    
  
Thomas unfolded his hands and gestured to Alex and Thomas. "Mom, this is James and that's Alex, they're my boyfriends," he told her, slowly as if it would make her react any differently.    
  
She shook both of their hands, not saying a word, and walked further in the house, heels clacking across the floor.    
  
"You've let this place go," she told him, and Thomas sighed. James wanted nothing more than to carry him to their bed, wrap him up in the comforters, and hug him until he fell asleep and forgot all the stress this visit already gave him. He wanted his mother to approve of him, but he felt like no matter what he he did, he'd never be good enough in her eyes.   
  
Thomas turned to stand in front of them. "Would you take my siblings to the dining room while I try to convince my mother to love me?"    
  
"Of course," Alex replied, and James nodded. Thomas kissed both of them and joined his mother's side, leading her further into the house.   
  
A woman, older than Thomas, stood in front of them, unsmiling, glaring at them. James assumed she was Jane or Mary, the only older siblings Thomas had.   
  
"You're both dating my brother?" she questioned. They couldn't do anything but nod, frozen where they stood.    
  
"Wow," she whispered, and Alex looked angrier than James had ever seen him.    
  
"We know where the dining room is," another woman told them, leading her train of siblings down the entrance hall and into the room, leaving James and Alex dumbfounded at the door.    
  
"James," Alex muttered through gritted teeth, "if at any point tonight, I end up killing one of them, do you think Thomas would be upset or relieved?"    
  
"Relieved, most likely, but I wouldn't advise it."    
  
Alex sighed. "Fine, but just know they're already on thin ice with me."    
  
Thomas returned with his mother ten minutes later, pleased to see everyone paid attention to their place cards and sat where they were told to.    
  
"James, Alex, will you help me in the kitchen, please?" Thomas requested, pleading.    
  
"I didn't know you learned how to cook," Mrs. Jefferson commented. Thomas breathed like he was about to cry. James and Alex both nodded and stood, following Thomas as he all but sprinted into the room.    
  
"I'm going to die!" He exclaimed. Alex shh'd him and shut the swinging door before turning back.    
  
"You're not going to die," James assured.    
  
Thomas cried out. "They're all so  _ draining _ . They want so much from me and I just want to live my life and be with you and never see them again, but for some reason they  _ insist  _ on seeing me, like they're just waiting until they can poke and prod at every aspect at my life and see if I'm really as much of a failure as they think I am and, hey, maybe I am, maybe I'm just as worthle-"   
  
"Hey, hey!" Alex interrupted, stopping Thomas' pacing and kissing him on the forehead. "You are  _ not  _ worthless. I understand that your family is draining and that you don't like being around them, but if you think for one second that they're actually  _ right  _ when they insult you, then I'm sorry but you are  _ dead wrong _ ."   
  
James came up behind him. "Thomas, you are the most beautiful person we've ever met, you're brilliant, please don't ever think less of yourself."    
  
"We love you so much," Alex whispered. "Please don't listen to them."   
  
"Okay," Thomas nodded. "Okay, I'm ready. Let's-"   
  
"Thomas, mom told me to-" was all Jane got out before she saw the position they were in, pressed against each other in the middle of the kitchen. She stood halfway in the doorway, half out of it, enough so that nobody else in the dining room could see them.    
  
"Jane-"   
  
"Don't. If you want to do  _ this _ , I'm not going to stop you. Just, think about your future, and what this means for that. I hope you don't end up doing something you'll regret." With that she was gone, and James heard her tell her mother they should be coming out soon.   
  
"What?" Alex asked, turning to Thomas.   
  
"She thinks that when this 'phase' of my life is over, and it's time for me to get a wife, that every woman in the world will see you as some  _ blemish on my résumé _ , and then they won't marry me. As if I'm ever going to leave you, or suddenly become straight, or want to marry anybody but you."    
  
Alex kissed him. "You're going to be fine. We're going to be fine. You can do this."    
  
Thomas nodded, wiped the tears out of his eyes, grabbed the bowl of salad that he made, and walked out to the dining room, fake smile plastered on his face. Alex and James sighed, concerned for what this was going to do to Thomas once they left, and followed him out, each carrying a basket of bread that Thomas bought specifically for this visit.   
  
Conversation was sparse, all of Thomas' family studying him, James, and Alex like they were lab subjects, like anything that came out of their mouths should be cataloged and reviewed for examination. James wanted to scream, to kick them all out of the house and tell them to never come back, but this wasn't his house, and therefore not his decision to make.    
  
As Thomas set down the cake he help Alex bake in front of them, James was sure he was about to burst with how much food he'd already eaten, an easy way to keep his mouth shut so he didn't accidentally snap at the leech people that he ate dinner with. He'd been dreaming of this cake since he watched Alex and Thomas bake it yesterday while he helped make the chicken.    
  
"I don't know how to make chicken in a way that won't burn your taste buds off," Alex explained, and Thomas sighed.    
  
"This wouldn't be a problem if I knew how to fucking preheat an oven," Thomas muttered, and Alex kissed his temple.    
  
"We'll get there. We're working with the stove right now, and you're doing well. We're very proud." Thomas blushed and Alex beamed at him.    
  
"I can make the chicken, but I don't know how much time it will give me to help with everything else," James offered, and Alex looked over the menu Thomas made again.    
  
"That's fine. Thomas can make the salad, the gourmet cornbread he buys should be fine to use for this. I can do the pasta, and then while the chicken is cooking we can do the vegetables. Me and Thomas will team up and tackle the cake a day before that way you have all the time in the world to do your thing."    
  
James stared at him. "You astound me."   
  
"Thank you."   
  
Thomas' mother was not amused with their choice in dessert, for some reason cake was below her, and she declined it when offered. Thomas looked heartbroken. Alex whispered something to him and he tried to stifle his smile, carrying the one piece back in the kitchen before returning. He kissed James on the head as he passed him coming back in, and James grinned like the sun. It was a small act, but he knew it was big to Thomas, which in turn meant it was big to them.    
  
Thomas' younger sister, Lucy, set down her fork as she looked over at Thomas. "Tom, how long have you been dating Alex and James?" His mother looked livid, fire in her eyes as they darted from Lucy to Thomas and back again.    
  
Thomas cleared his throat. "Since last July, so-"    
  
"So you've been with them for almost a year then?"    
  
"Yeah." Thomas nodded, still unsure of what his sister was getting at.    
  
"That's cute," is all she told him, and then resumed eating.    
  
Thomas stared at her, eyes wide. "Thank you," he mumbled, staring down at his plate.    
  
Mrs. Jefferson glared at him for the rest of the evening, cold eyes boring into Thomas' much warmer ones. James couldn't express enough how happy he was that Thomas got away from her when he did.    
  
She stood up, placing her napkin on the empty space in front of her. "Well, Thomas, we're just going to go upstairs now if you don't mind."   
  
Thomas stood up with her. "You didn't tell me you were staying."   
  
"Is that a problem?" She stood up straighter, her tone saying clearly that  _ it better not be a problem. _   
  
"Well, no, but it would've been nice if you told me."    
  
"A professional person should always be prepared for any outcome, the fact that you didn't plan for this is not my fault, Thomas." 

The Jeffersons all paraded out of the room and up the stairs, leaving the three of them alone with a table full of dishes to clean.   
  
"Well," Alex spoke up, "this totally rules out what I had planned after this."   
  
James quirked his eyebrow. "What did you have planned?"   
  
"It's not important anymore. Just know it involved reassurance and blowjobs." He stacked up five of the plates and carried them into the kitchen.   
  
"I love him," Thomas said, and James grinned.   
  
"Me too."  
  
They washed the dishes together, scrubbing them before they went in the dishwasher, James putting away all of the leftover food while they did.   
  
Alex looked over at Thomas while he washed out the wine glass his mother used, scrubbing the lipstick stain that wouldn't come off.   
  
"Do you want to talk about it?"   
  
"No."   
  
Alex looked at him. "Thomas."   
  
He sighed, dropping the glass. It hit the bottom of the sink with a _clank_. "I would just prefer it if my mother didn't hate me. If she didn't hate everything and everyone I loved, it would be even better."   
  
"I know, love, I'm sorry you have to go through that," James whispered, coming up behind him. He hoped someone didn't walk in.   
  
"It's not that my mom doesn't love me, it's that she doesn't love who I actually am. If I was her perfect, successful, elitist, heterosexual, proud of the wealth I was born into son, I'm sure she would love me enough to actually take an interest in my life, but I'm not. I'm not sorry for who I am, I actually like myself for the first time in years, but it's frustrating, you know? And it doesn't help that, even if I explain to her that I never want to be with anybody else but you two, she's not going to accept that. You two don't deserve that, _I_ don't deserve that."   
  
"I would say that that we could wash dishes in the morning," James kissed Thomas' neck, "but I don't think your hell mother would approve."   
  
"She'd write me out of the will," Thomas chuckled, but there was no warmth in it. "If she hasn't already."  
  
Alex pecked his lips. "Go to sleep, we'll finish up here."   
  
"I can't sleep without you."   
  
"Well then get ready to go to sleep."  
  
Thomas nodded and left them, and James jumped as Alex snatched one of the plates from the water and scrubbed like he was trying to break it.   
  
"He doesn't deserve this, James. He's fucking beautiful, and he tries so fucking hard to be a better person that doesn't depend on his money for everything and she comes here _expecting_ him to be that person, like if he's anything else then he's betraying them. Why can't they just fucking see who he is instead of who they fucking want him to be? With all her fucking familial connections she's gotta know one fucking person that deviates from her elitist asshole lifestyle that she's so accustomed to, it shouldn't be that hard to get used to."   
  
"How long have you wanted to yell to me about this?"   
  
"Since she walked in the house. If I didn't get to at some point I was going to wake you up and do it on the back porch thing-"  
  
"Portico."  
  
"Portico, right, but Thomas is in our room and so now I have the chance. I didn't send him to our room because I wanted him gone so we could talk, though, I actually do want him to rest, because he looks exhausted and who knows how long they're staying tomorrow."   
  
"Right."   
  
"I would never want Thomas out of the way, or you for that matter. I want both of you by my side at all times, for the rest of my life, and I would never ask either of you to leave just to get you out of the way."   
  
"I know, Alex, and I'm just as angry as you are, but you kind of said everything there was to say about it."   
  
Alex placed another plate in the dishwasher, which was quickly filling up the angrier he got. "I tend to do that."   
  
"It's just another reason why we love you." They grinned at each other and James kissed him.   
  
Thomas wasn't in their bedroom when they got there, which worried them more than it would've on any other night. They went through every other room on the first floor until they found him on the west portico, summer breeze blowing, but not enough to muffle their words through the cracked open window in the parlor.   
  
"I don't approve of those boys that you spend your time with," his mother told him, staring over the yard, refusing to look at him.   
  
"They're grown men, not boys, and they're my boyfriends, not just 'boys I spent my time with'. And I know that you don't approve of them, mother."   
  
She turned to him. "Then why are they here? Don't you want to be happy? Don't you want your mother to be happy?"  
  
"They _make_ me happy."   
  
"They make you distracted. You should be focusing on your career, on continuing the upkeep of this house, like your father wanted. You should be ensuring that your children will have the opportunities that you did, the wealth that you did. You should be looking for a wife."   
  
Thomas whipped to look at her. "I'm _gay_ , mom. You knew that, I told you that, I'm not going to _keep_ telling you every time you see me for the rest of my life until one of us dies. It's summer, there's nothing to focus on and there's nothing to _do_ , and as far as I'm concerned, I am taking care of this house. It's one of the reasons why it's _my house_ , and why you don't live here."   
  
"Watch your mouth," she warned, but Thomas was angry and there was no stopping him now. Alex grabbed James' hands and kissed his knuckles for good measure.   
  
"I've been watching my mouth for my entire life, mother, I'm tired of it. You spent years telling me that I could be anything, could do anything, and then when I do it, when I'm getting an education, living on my own, with people who I love that _just so happen_ to be men, you, what, take it back? I don't want my children, if I even decide to have them, to grow up with the same elitism I was born and bred into. I would never raise my children like you."   
  
The smack that came echoed for miles, the impact of it like a siren in James' ears. Alex's skin turned hot to the touch and he tried to escape the room, fury rushing through his veins as he strained in James' grip.   
  
"Don't do anything. This is him, this is his mother, it's not our fight."   
  
Alex fought against him. "She smacked my fucking boyfriend."   
  
"She smacked my boyfriend too, and I'm not going to let you go out there. I know it's what she deserves, I _know that_ , but we have to let him handle this."   
  
Thomas' hand cradled his cheek. "Get out," he spit, and Alex relaxed so he could hear.   
  
"Excuse me?"   
  
"Get _out_. I am twenty-four years old, you don't get to treat me like I'm ten and smack me like I'm your fucking property. This is my house, it was left to me, and you don't have any fucking right to act like you have dominion over me inside of it. So either you leave, or I kick you out, one way or another. It's not up for debate."   
  
His mother said nothing before she stormed back in the house before Thomas, catching the two of them in the corner of their eye. She didn't say anything to them either, just glared and then stomped away, running up the stairs to get the rest of her children. Thomas came in after her, tears in his eyes, hand still covering the mark she left on his skin.   
  
Alex and James were with him in an instant, catching him as he broke down in their arms. His sobbing was muffled in the fabric of James' shirt, arms wrapping around his waist. Alex stood up without them, went back in the kitchen.   
  
"You did good, Thomas, she doesn't deserve to have you as a son. We love you so much, we're so happy that you stood up for yourself, it's okay, you're okay." James pulled Thomas into his lap, held him while he cried. Alex walked out of the kitchen and went to the parlor, carrying a pile of blankets into their room.   
  
James carried Thomas into their room as Alex passed them, setting him down on the bed. He stopped crying, if only for a moment while he unfolded the blankets and covered himself with them. Alex came in carrying a tray of hot chocolate, set it on the small table next to the bed.   
  
"I thought this might be necessary." He climbed over James and Thomas into his spot on the other side, intertwining their fingers.   
  
"How much did you hear?" Thomas asked, sniffling.   
  
"When you weren't in our room we went looking for you, we heard her saying how she doesn't approve of us through the window in the parlor," James informed, handing him a mug of hot chocolate.   
  
Thomas smiled. "Did you notice how you started calling it _our_ room, instead of my room? It's cute."   
  
"We love you," Alex whispered, taking his own mug from James' hands.   
  
"I love you too," he said. James wanted so badly to help him, wanted to protect him from everything, to keep him here in their bedroom and never let him leave.   
  
The next morning, James stood shirtless in the kitchen, watching the bacon sizzle in the frying pan. Alex hummed as he chopped the tomatoes Thomas gave him the day before. Thomas got plates down from the cabinet, keeping an eye on the pancakes on the griddle as he did.   
  
"Thomas, do you know where Mom is?" Martha called as she pushed open the kitchen door, stopping dead in her tracks as she saw them.   
  
Thomas set plates down on the counter, eyes wide. "She left last night, I thought y'all went with her."  
  
"No, only her, Mary, and Jane are gone. The rest of us are all here."   
  
"Oh my god." James watched as Alex's hands moved almost too quick, cutting through tomatoes like he was punishing them.   
  
"What happened after dinner last night?"   
  
"We got into a fight," Thomas explained. "I told her to leave."   
  
"You told _mom_ to leave?"  
  
"Yes, this is my house."   
  
"Awesome," she muttered, nodding. "I'm gonna go upstairs now and see what the rest of us want to do for breakfast."  
  
"We could cook something," Alex offered. Thomas looked back at him with all the love in his heart and James thought he was having a heart attack.   
  
"Great, let me just see what they want," she said, dashing out. "Thank you!"  
  
"Oh my god, they don't all hate me," Thomas breathed, blinking tears out of his eyes. James wrapped his arms around Thomas.   
  
"We need to put on clothes."   
  
"Right."   
  
"Wait, Thomas!" Martha interrupted, barging back in the room. "You know the only people who don't like your relationship are Mom, Mary, and Jane, right? The rest of us are fine with it." She didn't wait for an answer, running back up the stairs without another word.  
  
"Thomas?" Alex asked, coming up next to them.   
  
"I've never been so happy in my entire life."   
  
James and Alex laughed and kissed him before James left to get them clothes to put on to spare them more embarrassment. He was so happy for him.  
  
Thomas was going to be alright. They were going to be alright.   
  
\---  
  
Thomas' siblings were gone for three days now, after spending the week with them. None of them wanted to leave, all more than happy to stay there until Thomas had to go back to New York, maybe even after, but Mrs. Jefferson came back and insisted they return, giving them no other option. Thomas worried, like he always did, about his siblings and whether or not they would be okay, working himself into a panic until Alex and James managed to calm him down.   
  
It was three in the morning, James guessed, somewhere around there, and they were all still awake, Alex sprawled out across their stomachs. James didn't understand how he wasn't cold, the air conditioning in full force in the room, and he was wearing nothing but his boxers. Thomas fingers ran through his hair, grinning as Alex hummed happily.   
  
"Do you think we'll ever actually get married?" Thomas questioned, staring at the ceiling.  
  
Alex sighed. "Do you mean legally?"   
  
"No. I mean, if that would be an option, then yes, but right now I just mean in general."   
  
"Then is getting married something you _want_ to do? Like is that something you'd be interested in, spending your life with us?"  
  
"Of course. You're the loves of my life, I would love to be with you for the rest of it."   
  
Alex grinned, climbing into the covers between then. "Well I do declare, Mr. Jefferson, might this be a proposal?"   
  
Thomas groaned. "Oh my god, please never try to do a southern accent again."   
  
"Sorry, but really? Are you proposing to us?"   
  
Thomas blushed. "Maybe? I don't know! Would you even want that? To marry me? Is that a life path you'd actually want to go down? That's a big deal, y'know. It's a _huge deal_."   
  
Alex moved them so Thomas' head was in his lap, playing with his curls, kissing across his forehead. Thomas sighed, relaxing into Alex's touch.  
  
"Of course we would, Thomas," James assured him, turning on his side.   
  
"Really?"  
  
"Yes!" Alex squeaked, kissing him upside down, fumbling for a moment before finding their rhythm  
  
"We should probably find an apartment first," told them, and Alex's laptop took the place of Thomas' head in a minute flat.   
  
James didn't register it until he was almost asleep that he just got engaged to and agreed to move in with the two people he loved most in the world in the span of five minutes, and when he did it was hard to fall asleep. He laid there giggling until Alex rolled over and put his hand over James' mouth in his sleep until he was quiet, understanding the excitement but the falling to the temptation of sleep.   
  
\---  
  
The pollen counts dropped significantly in the past few days they'd been there, enough so that James could go outside with them without feeling like death. Thomas and Alex took advantage of this, digging out a picnic basket from a spare room and getting almost all of the food from the kitchen to pack. James rolled his eyes, told them that this was too much to do for him, but they didn't listen. He loved them so much.  
  
Thomas' cooking skills improved since when they first showed up, James and Alex watching him, fond, as he moved around the kitchen, sure in his every movement. He flipped the grilled cheese sandwiches he was making and then went over to take grapes out of the fridge and grab a container.    
  
"Have I ever told you how much I love you?" Alex swung his legs back and forth on the breakfast bar stool, chin in his hands, grinning like a lovesick idiot.   
  
Thomas laughed. "Yes."   
  
"Do you _know_ how much I love you?"  
  
"I'd like to think so." He kissed Alex and then pulled them both out the front door, sitting underneath the shade of the trees standing tall above them.   
  
They didn't talk for a long time, Alex opening his laptop to find one of the websites they used to look at apartments, Thomas resting his head in James' lap. James smiled down at him, delighted that he got to love someone so beautiful, to be loved in return. He was going to marry him, and they were going to marry Alex. His heart felt like it was beating out of his chest just thinking about it, about how excited he was to love them for the rest of his life.   
  
Alex laid his head on Thomas' stomach, feet planted on the ground so he could still see his laptop screen in front of him.   
  
"We're only looking for one bedroom, right? I mean, two is fine but I want to pay a fair share of the rent, and apartments are already so expensive anyway so-"  
  
Thomas undid Alex's bun. "One bedroom is fine, love, it's not like we won't have a couch if people come over."   
  
"Yeah, speaking of people coming over," Alex changed the search filters, "Lafayette said they want to be the first person to see the apartment when we move in, and also not to buy any houseplants because that's what they're giving us at the housewarming party we're apparently having."   
  
James snorted. "That's sweet of them."   
  
"I didn't tell them about the marriage thing, though, because I know we agreed to it, but we haven't really-"  
  
"Talked about it, yeah," Thomas agreed. "Well, I mean, I asked you to marry me, you both said yes, right?" James and Alex nodded. "So, we're getting married. My younger siblings will be invited, Lafayette will be invited, John and Hercules can come as their dates. The Schuyler sisters and Burr, other people will probably be there, I don't know."  
  
"Okay, so that's settled," Alex said, scrolling through available apartments. "Love you."  
  
"Love you too," James and Thomas told him.   
  
It was nice, being able to spend time with them outside like this, not having anywhere to go and nothing to do. Tree branches swayed above them as the wind blew, fresh air brushing across his skin. They fell asleep late in the afternoon, woke up to a sky full of lightning bugs shining as bright as stars.   
  
"Woah," James whispered. Thomas was already awake, smiling up at the sky. He glanced over to James and then back, hands folded across his stomach.   
  
Alex woke up, and James swore he'd never seen anyone so scared in his life. His eyes were wide, darting in between James and Thomas, confused as to how the fuck they weren't as freaked out as he was.  
  
"What's happening right now?" A lightning bug landed on his nose and he swatted it away, trying to duck out of reach of them.  
  
James and Thomas looked at each other over his head. "They're lightning bugs."  
  
"What the fuck?"  
  
Thomas sat up. "Have you never seen a lightning bug before?"   
  
"Evidently not," Alex mumbled, jerking away as another one flew to him. "Oh my god, they keep fucking landing on me." He screamed and jumped into James' lap.  
  
"They don't hurt you, y'know."   
  
Alex clung to James. "I don't like them anyway. Bugs aren't my thing."   
  
Thomas snorted. "Yeah, I know, you once broke my shower curtain because there was a moth on the ceiling."  
  
"Okay, first of all, moths aren't even bugs, they're like satan spawn and I'm _not_ touching them," he argued. "I'm not touching whatever the fuck these are either, can we go inside?"  
  
"Yeah, sure." Thomas nodded, helping them up from the ground. He pulled Alex into his arms once he stood, kissing him. Alex hummed but then a lightning bug landed on his forehead, and James cackled as he yelped and ran inside.   
  
They laid in the living room after they took a shower, squeezing together on the couch that didn't fit all of them, trying to pay attention to whatever movie they were watching and failing. Thomas was falling asleep in between them, James following in his influence. Alex was fully awake, staring down at his arms, eyebrows furrowed.   
  
"You okay?" James asked, and Alex turned back to look at him.   
  
"I have a fucking farmer's tan."  
  
James' laughter woke Thomas up, pushing them off the couch in the process. Alex screamed and Thomas collapsed on top of him, leaving them glaring at at a man they loved, but kind of wanted to kill in that moment. James wasn't even sorry.  
  
\---  
  
They've been sitting in Thomas' library for three hours now after Thomas ushered them in there and asked them to give him time. He wouldn't tell them what he was doing, just gave them the _eyes_ and then left the room, leaving them to wonder what he was planning and why it was so secretive.   
  
"Maybe he's setting up a series of elaborate traps so that way if we want to leave, we have to survive first," Alex suggested, and James stared at him from across the small table between them, amazed that those words even came out of his mouth. They were sitting on the cozy chaise lounge chairs Thomas kept in the library, the only option being a leather couch they both loathed.  
  
"Pardon me?"   
  
"I don't know, I'm making guesses here. We've been in this room since, like, two o'clock, and I'm _starving_. We leave tomorrow, and I want to eat dinner, pack, and go to bed as soon as possible. I love him, but I think he's trying to kill me."   
  
James chuckled. "You're his fiancé, he's not trying to kill you."  
  
"Fiancé," Alex repeated, "I'm his fiancé. We're all going to marry each other."   
  
"That's the plan, love."   
  
"I love you."  
  
"I love you too."  
  
Alex got up from his chair and sat in James' lap, hands coming up to hold his jaw. He kissed James softly, like he wanted it to last forever, to be immortalized for this moment. James' hands braced against his back, kissing Alex with all the love his heart could take, trying to explain how much he loved him without saying a word. He'd tell him later, after Thomas showed them whatever he was doing and they were packed up to leave, he'd whisper it into his skin as he kissed across his collarbones, make sure Alex knew just how loved he was.   
  
Thomas barged in the room, frantic and adorable and _covered_ in tomato sauce. James' eyebrows shot up to his hairline, Alex glanced at him, surprised, but not  entirely shocked.   
  
"I love you?" Thomas tried, and they stayed silent. He picked at his skin before folding his hands behind his back.   
  
Alex stood up, and walked over to Thomas, circling him. "What did you do?"   
  
"Follow me." Thomas guided them out of the room and into the dining room, where dinner was laid out on the table, complete with placemats and candles, nothing short of a masterpiece. Alex gasped and Thomas beamed, rocking on his feet.  
  
"Thomas," James breathed. "Oh my god."  
  
"I wanted to thank you for coming with me, for agreeing to stay here for a month, for saying yes to marrying me? I'm still ecstatic about that, it all feels like a dream, really. Every day with you feels like a dream," he whispered, then snapped out of it. "This month has been a rollercoaster, from my mom to Alex gardening to teaching me how to cook," he gestured to the table again. "I just wanted to thank you in some way, I don't know, I hope I did a good job."  
  
Tears fell down Alex's cheeks as he stared at Thomas, unable to find the words, or maybe he just had too many to say. He tackled Thomas into a hug, all but pinning him against the door frame.   
  
He sighed, breath shuddering. "I love you so much. Thank you so much for even inviting us here and we're getting _married_ and we're moving in together and, fuck, you're so amazing I'm so happy that you decided to marry us. Oh my god, we're so lucky to have you."   
  
"You're going to make me cry," Thomas told him, and Alex laughed.   
  
"Good, then you'll know how I feel."  
  
"No! Not good, we have food to eat."   
  
"Right, right," Alex nodded, wiping his tears and sitting down at the table. James kissed Thomas and joined them at the table, eager to finally eat after being in the library for three hours starving.  
  
"Thomas," James turned to him after they all started eating, eyebrows furrowed. "Just out of curiosity, what does the kitchen look like?"   
  
Thomas didn't answer, just bit into his chicken much slower than before. Alex snorted, and James let it go, knowing some questions were better left unanswered.   
  
\---  
  
They all greeted Thomas' apartment like an old friend, jumping onto his bed, in the middle of the room where it belonged, and sighing. They put on their pajamas before they left Monticello that morning, meaning all the three of them had to do once they got back was climb under the covers and relax.   
  
"When we left this apartment a month ago," Alex recalled, "we were dating, living in separate places. Thomas didn't know how to cook and we'd never met his family or gone on a picnic together. I'd never even seen a tomato garden let alone worked in one."   
  
Thomas kissed him. "And now?"  
  
"Now, we're engaged, looking for an apartment. Thomas is a gourmet chef," he giggled as Thomas nudged him, "and I'm going to fight all of his gross family members if I ever see them again. We went on a picnic, I figured out what lightning bugs are, _and_ went through hell in your tomato garden, but I forgive you because now I have enough tomatoes to last me the rest of the summer."  
  
"I love you," James muttered, turning over on his side to face them. Thomas smiled at him and he returned it on instinct, the warmth emanating from them turning James' core into molten lava in the best way.   
  
"We love you too," Alex said, leaning up to kiss him, tasted like mint toothpaste and the mouthwash he used that James swore bordered on alcoholic. Thomas cuddled further into Alex's side and they fell asleep, happy to be home and to see what life had to offer them in the future.  


**Author's Note:**

> !!!


End file.
